Depression is never easy to talk about, especially for celebrities. The last thing anyone suffering from depression needs is public scrutiny. So I was impressed by Michelle Williams' decision to come forward and talk about the years she spent suffering from "moderate depression." The Destiny's Child singer and actress says her first bout with depression happened when she was around 15 years old, and that part of what made the time so difficult was how the people around her responded.

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"We're taught, 'Just go to church and pray about it. The Lord is going to heal you.' Well, in the meantime, I believe God-gifted people, physicians, doctors, therapists -- that's your healing. Take advantage of it. Go see a professional so that they can assess you. It's OK if you're going through something. Depression is not OK, but it is OK to go get help."

Williams' words might not seem revolutionary, but for so many people, they truly could make a life-saving difference. Because there's still a stigma attached to depression -- like it's no different from the average bad mood -- snap out of it! Except it's not that simple, and it's nearly impossible to do without help.

"I've dealt with depression ... I had to choose to get out of bed and do whatever I needed to do to be happy," says 32-year-old Williams. In her case, those things turned out to be exercise, therapy and positive thinking (she says she's been able to avoid medication thus far).

What worked for Willaims might not work for everyone, of course, but the important thing is to keep looking until you find your own personal recipe for happiness.